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Background: Endocardial cardiac resynchronization therapy (eCRT) avoids the limitations and failures of coronary sinus (CS) resynchronization. However, data regarding long-term outcomes are lacking., Objective: The purpose of this study was to report the long-term outcome of eCRT performed using the Jurdham procedure in a real-world setting., Methods: eCRT was performed in patients who failed a CS implant or failed to respond to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), or in selected patients requiring lifelong oral anticoagulation (OAC). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA FC), and left ventricular stimulation parameters were assessed during long-term follow-up (FU)., Results: From August 2009 to March 2018, the Jurdham procedure was performed in 88 patients at 15 centers in 8 countries, with FU of 32.88 ± 61.52 months (range 0-88 months; 196 patient-years). NYHA FC improved from 2.9 preimplant to 1.3 during FU. LVEF increased <10 percentage points from baseline in 7% of patients, between 10 and 20 percentage points in 11% of patients, and >20 percentage points in 82% of patients. All-cause mortality at 60 months was 30.5%. Three transient ischemic attacks (1.53 per 100 patient-years) and 6 strokes (3.06 per 100 patient-years) occurred. Of the 6 patients with stroke, 4 (66%) had almost complete recovery., Conclusion: eCRT using the Jurdham procedure is an effective and safe technique in anticoagulated patients. This approach may be an attractive option for patients with failed CS implants or nonresponders to CS CRT. In addition, it might be a reasonable approach as a first option for treatment of patients requiring lifelong OAC., (Copyright © 2019 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Endocardial stimulation of the left ventricle for cardiac resynchronization therapy is a growing field of investigation. Despite the excellent results and absence of significant complications demonstrated thus far in the literature, the lack of a simple, straightforward, and standard technique limits its widespread utilization., Objective: To assess the feasibility, safety, simplicity, and complications of a technique for inserting the left ventricle lead through a femoral transseptal sheath to the pectoral implant site, termed "the Jurdham procedure.", Methods: We performed the Jurdham procedure in 10 patients (8 men; 60.5 ± 1.8 years) in whom a coronary sinus lead implant had failed. A snared 85-cm standard active fixation endocardial pacing lead was implanted on the left ventricle endocardium through a femoral transseptal sheath with subsequent mobilization of the proximal end of the lead to the prepectoral area via the snare., Results: Successful implant was achieved in all 10 patients without complications, with excellent acute and chronic pacing parameters. All patients remained on chronic oral anticoagulation therapy without thromboembolic or bleeding complications. No late complications have occurred. All patients have improved at least 1 New York Heart Association functional class and have remained clinically stable during the follow-up term., Conclusion: The Jurdham procedure is a reliable, technically easy technique to achieve cardiac resynchronization therapy via the endocardial approach. In our initial experience, there has been an excellent clinical response without significant complications during short-term follow-up. Additional investigation is needed to define the precise indications and limitations of this procedure., (Copyright © 2012 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Dynamic aortomyoplasty is an alternative to heart transplantation. The goal of our study was to evaluate the benefits of aortic counterpulsation obtained using dynamic aortomyoplasty in patients with heart failure refractory to pharmacologic treatment and with contraindications to heart transplant., Methods: In this study, we compared the pre-operative and post-operative data of 15 selected patients who underwent dynamic thoracic aortomyoplasty. In this surgical technique, the right latissimus dorsi muscle flap is wrapped around the ascending aorta. This muscle flap was electrically stimulated during diastole, following a muscle-conditioning protocol, to obtain diastolic augmentation. At 12-month follow-up, we evaluated invasively and non-invasively the hemodynamic, clinical, and functional effects of aortomyoplasty., Results: When comparing pre-operative data with 12-month follow-up data, we observed a significant decrease in the number of hospitalizations (p < 0.001) and in the New York Heart Association functional class (p < 0.001), and we observed significant improvement in the walking test (p < 0.001) and in peak oxygen consumption (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: Dynamic, biologic, chronic counterpulsation of the aorta using a latissimus dorsi flap (dynamic aortomyoplasty) in selected patients with severe heart failure significantly improved hemodynamic parameters, heart functional data, and clinical functional class. A larger clinical experience with a longer follow-up would be useful in evaluating this technique's clinical relevance.

Dynamic aortomyoplasty has been the subject of experimentation for the treatment of congestive heart failure during the last few years. This method consists of diastolic counterpulsation of the ascending aorta through the stimulation of the latissimus dorsi wrapped around it. This report describes the results of aortomyoplasty in a patient with dilated cardiomyopathy resulting from Chagas' disease and contraindications for heart transplantation or cardiomyoplasty.

Severe atherosclerosis of the lower limbs causes rest pain, skin ulcerations and gangrene. In such situations and when standard surgical treatment had failed or it is impossible to employ, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) seems to be of value. Since April 1985, we have used this technique on 19 patients. The results have been beneficial in 70.6% of the cases and have shown some evidence of increasing cutaneous flow. However, randomized series are required before accepting it as having a special place in the fight against atherosclerotic disease.

The effects on ventricular arrhythmias of a new class IA drug, flecainide, were compared with those of amiodarone in 10 patients with frequent, chronic, and stable ventricular ectopic beats (VEBs). The study consisted of an initial 1-week, placebo-controlled, baseline period followed by two 12-day, randomized, crossover, double-blind treatment periods with incremental dosage and 1 month of placebo between drug periods. Frequent VEBs, which were present in all 10 patients during both placebo control periods (30 or more VEBs/hour every hour, during 24-hour Holter monitoring), were markedly suppressed (reduction greater than 80%) in nine patients with both drugs (p less than 0.01). There was almost total abolition of the VEBs in six patients with flecainide, and the satisfactory results with a minimal dose in three demonstrate its fast onset of action. Side effects from either agent were infrequent and no discontinuation was necessary. We conclude from our study that flecainide is a highly effective antiarrhythmic agent.

"Completed" and "abortive" alternating Wenckebach periods occurred in a symptomatic female with calcification of the mitral annulus. These arrhythmias were attributed to transverse dissociation of the His bundle into two horizontal levels "connected in series," with 2:1 block in the "distal" level and Wenckebach periods in the "proximal" level. Intra-Hisian alternating Wenckebach periods resembled those resulting from transverse dissociation of other infra-AV nodal structures in that they are rare, usually symptomatic and require pacemaker implantation. This contrasts with the variety of rhythms resulting from transverse dissociation of the AV node which occur frequently, are not always malignant, and generally are not treated with implanted pacemakers.